The present invention relates to bed rails for pickup trucks, and more particularly, the present invention relates to bed rails readily attachable to sidewalls of pickup trucks and further having readily selectively installed indicia-bearing panels for use with pickup trucks.
In recent years, trucks have become a large segment of the motor vehicle industry. Pickup trucks having enlarged seating cabs and large cargo beds have likewise increased in popularity. New trucks are costly, and while the manufacturers provide standard and optional equipment, many owners seek to outfit their trucks with accessory products. Indeed, the accessories market for pickup trucks has developed along with the increased acquisition and use of pickup trucks. Truck accessories allow the owner of the truck to personalize and achieve a xe2x80x9clookxe2x80x9d for the truck with ornamental effects, after-market add-on products, lighting, and sound systems. Notwithstanding, most truck consumers want the accessories to not have xe2x80x9cadd-onxe2x80x9d appearances, but rather, to have a xe2x80x9cmanufacturersxe2x80x9d appearance. Accessories in the pickup truck market now account for a significant majority of sales of automotive accessories sold in the United States.
One popular accessory for pickup trucks is bed rails that mount to the cap or upper edge of the sidewalls that define the bed of the pickup truck. Bed rails are elongate members typically having chrome appearance, although bed rails are also supplied in powder coat or stainless steel. Limited types of bed rails are available. These are notable tube rails and slot rails. Typically, the bed rails have at least one elongate longitudinal opening defined by spaced-apart members or straights and have tapered leading and trailing ends. In addition to ornamental effect, the bed rails further function as tie-down devices, by which loads in the bed of the truck may be secured with cords or connectors attached to the bed rails.
As noted above, many truck owners seek to accessorize their trucks. This includes embellishing the trucks with signage or wording that reflects an appreciation for or an association with a sports team, an educational institution, a scenic outdoors or wildlife image, or a cartoonish commentary, among other graphics or text images.
The bed rails heretofore have not facilitated the combination of bed rail accessory with selective ornamental embellishments.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a bed rail readily attachable to sidewalls of pickup trucks and further for selective display and changing of ornamental indicia-bearing panels for use with pickup trucks. It is to such that the present invention is directed.
The present invention meets the need in the art by providing a bed rail for attaching to a sidewall of a motor vehicle, comprising a pair of elongate members held in spaced-apart relation by a leading end cap and a trailing end cap, the elongate members defining a space therebetween and an ornamental panel disposed in the space, for mounting with fasteners to a cap of a sidewall of motor vehicle.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a bed rail for attaching to a sidewall of a pickup truck, comprising a leading end cap and a trailing end cap, and each has a pair of spaced-apart tongues. An upper elongate member and a lower elongate member each have a recess defined in opposing distal ends for matingly receiving a respective tongue of the leading and the trailing end caps. The leading and trailing end caps, being matingly engaged to the upper and lower elongate members, define an elongate bed rail for attachment to a sidewall of a pickup truck.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a bed rail for attaching to a sidewall of a pickup truck, comprising an elongate member having a leading end and a trailing end with opposing first and second elongate portions extending therebetween and the first elongate portion defining a longitudinal slot. A panel is received through the slot into a gap defined between the first and the second elongate portions. The panel being received through the slot is displayed upon mounting the elongate member to a sidewall of a pickup truck.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a method of installing a bed rail on a sidewall of a motor vehicle, comprising the steps of:
(a) attaching a first elongate member to a cap edge of a sidewall of a motor vehicle, said elongate member defining at least one channel for receiving an ornamental panel therein;
(b) connecting a first end cap to a distal end of the lower elongate member and to the cap edge of the sidewall;
(c) inserting a panel into the channel;
(d) connecting the first end cap to a distal end of a second elongate member while receiving an opposing edge of the panel in a channel therein; and
(e) attaching a second end cap to an opposing distal end of the first and the second elongate members and to the cap edge of the sidewall.
Objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the following detailed description of the invention and claims in view of the appended drawings.